Gamal el-Gohari was quoted by Egypt's state-run news agency as saying that the accident took place early Thursday morning near Beni Suef, a southern city. MENA quoted an unidentified security official as saying that the train hit a cement wall while trying to avoid a second one heading in the opposite direction, causing two of its compartments to overturn.
The agency also said that the train conductor was arrested.
Railroad accidents due to negligence are common in Egypt. The railway's worst disaster was in February 2002 when a train heading to southern Egypt caught fire, killing 363 people.
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